Sciaky fuel tank. Photo: Sciaky

Metal additive manufacturing solution provider Sciaky, a subsidiary of Phillips Services Industries (PSI), achieved qualification with its Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (EBAM) process. This follows the competition of qualification testing performed by Lockheed Martin Space on a multi-year development program to create giant, high-pressure tanks to carry fuel for satellites.

Lockheed Martin, which 3D printed both halves of the 46-inch titanium fuel tank domes on an American-made Sciaky EBAM 110 machine, announced last week that the tanks met or exceeded the performance and reliability required by NASA, allowing it to become a standard product option on LM 2100 satellites.

“Sciaky’s EBAM technology is now the world’s only large-scale metal 3D printing process that has qualified applications for land, sea, air, and space,” said Sciaky President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Phillips.